This application has subject matter in common with U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/318,470 (“Projection Night Light”); 12/318,473 (“LED Night Light Has Laser or Hologram Element(s)”); 12/073,889 (“LED track light device”); 12/073,095 (“LED light with changeable position with Preferred power source”); 12/007,076 (“LED light with changeable geometric system”); 12/003,691 (“LED light with changeable geometric dimension features”); 12/003,809 (“LED light with changeable features”); 11/806,711 (“Multiple LED light with adjustable angle features”); 11/527,631 (“LED Night light with interchangeable display unit”) 11/498,881 (“Poly Night light”); 11/255,981 (“Multiple light source Night Light”); 11/094,215 (“LED Night light with Liquid optics medium”); 11/092,741 (“Night light with fiber optics”); 10/883,747 (“Fiber Optic light kits for footwear”); 11/498,874 (“Area Illumination for LED night light”); 11/527,629 (“Time Piece with LED night light”) 11/527,628 (“Multiple Function Night light with Air Freshener”); 11/806,284 (“U.S. Patent Application LED Night light with more than one optics mediums”); 11/806,285 (“LED Night Light with multiple function”); and 11/806,711 (“Multiple LEDs Light with adjustable angle function”).
The current invention provides a light image on a wall, ceiling, floor, other desired surface such as an optic means surface, or any other desired location to enable people to view a desired image such as a star, moon, planet, silver-river, universal image, cartoon character, family photos, or favorite image to cause people pleasure in a dark environment or when falling asleep in a nice environment. It is especially important for youth or kids' room applications to let them have their own favorite image surround them.
The current invention has the following features:
1. It incorporates a simple optics-assembly to provide the projection features, the optics-assembly including a slide located between the LED and first optics means to enable easy assembly without the need for strict position and angle determination.
2. The slide may be a disc with a plurality of slides that can easily be changed by just rotating the disc to easily change the image in upgraded models.
3. The invention may incorporate a position change means for positioning a projector head to change image position, location, and/or size as desired by a simple touch, rotation, push, bend, or twist, so that any outside force applied to the night light cause the image to change position, location, or size instantly.4. The current invention can have compact dimensions when incorporated with a simple optics-assembly which allows the distance from LED tip to slide to be reduced to zero so that the slide contacts the first optics means.5. The current invention has no hazardous material such as a glass lens, but instead uses a hinge box with projector means inside to provide the precise positioning needed for a variety of lens types.6. The current invention may be incorporated with adjustable-focus means to adjust the lens distance to fit a variety of indoor spaces to keep any image perfectly clear.7. The current invention-may incorporate a transforming construction to change the projector head to a variety of positions and create an image at any desired location.8. The current invention provides an image surface that is perpendicular to the light beam path, for example a ceiling so that the image can be seen while asleep. Some prior art image projectors on top of a night light need too many expensive and fragile lenses, such as a reflective lens, condensing lens, grating lens, or projection/object lens that must be slid between these complicated lenses, causing a lot of limitations for mass production and night light unit dimensions.9. The night light of the current invention can fit a majority of market available housings and meet U.S. safety standard requirements.10. The night light of the current invention may have an adjustable distance between the light source(s) and the optics means (openings, films, hologram means, or grating means) to provide a clear image on desired surface(s).11. The night light of the current invention may have a new arrangement for battery position, location, and orientation to allow the light source(s) to have the best position and hit the optics means to get the best light effects and performance.12. The night light of the current invention may have a spiral arrangement for the batteries so that the light source(s) may be put on near center locations and emit light to an edge with a desired distance from the light source(s) to the optics means. It also can cover certain angled areas of all walls areas. This will get the best light performance and image size when applied to a hologram or grating laser film application.
The current invention represents a big improvement over all U.S. prior art including the following U.S. patents:
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,264 (Sutton) discloses a projection night light with a preferred 7 Watt bulb (408) which radiates too much heat so that a big distance from the bulb to the optics means is required. Because of the super high heat from the 7 Watt Bulb, the night light requires use of a glass material which is very big and dangerous to a user. Furthermore, the Sutton concept of using a glass reflection lens (604) to enable the image to be seen on the display screen (102) requires too complicated a construction and is not practical for a low cost application. In addition, the glass lens is much too fragile, and also is too heavy for the prongs to stay tightly in the outlet.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,444 (Black, Jr.) discloses a projection night light which has the same problems as Sutton's, including use of too many lenses including (303) reflector mirror, (105) (405) condensing lens, (106) (406) adjusting lens, (403) grating lens (which grating lens corresponds to the one disclosed in the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,736), and (415) project/object lens. Some of these lens need to made of a glass material which is very fragile and will be broken because it is too heavy to hold tightly in an outlet. The Black patent also emphasizes that the night light disclosed therein projects an image onto a surface parallel to a path of the light beam, through the use of projection means on top of the night light's wall. This is the reason why Black needs a lot of special optics lenses and slides (109) (209) (309) (409) between the glass lens.
Other prior art includes:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,296—Souze et al—Rotating lens with Bulb (78).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,918—Yaniv—Projector is wearable and projects an image onto screen (12).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,329,035—Feliciano—Child Night Light for held or worn.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,446—McCann—Projector inside a hinged top box (20), None of these can pass a USA safety standard because they will pass weight and pulling tests. Not safe and not qualified at all.
The current invention of an LED light for night time use includes: (A) a plug-in wall outlet night light, or (B) a direct current (DC) operated night light with projection features to project an image, message, data, logo, or time onto a ceiling, walls, floor, optic means surface or any other desired surface.
The current invention has as a light source an LED or plurality of LEDs (such as disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/255,981, now allowed) to supply a visible light beam to pass through an optics means or more than one of the optics means (such as disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/806,284) and create an image on a desired surface or location with additional features preferably selected from the group including size, dimension, area, height, distance, color, brightness, time period, trigger means, light function, light performance, changeable focus, changeable slides, changeable geometric shape of the night light, and changeable projection head direction.
The current invention incorporates preferred optics means selected from the group consisting of an optics-lens, concave lens, openings, cut-outs, film, grating means, hologram means (such as disclosed in the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,736) to create a preferred image at a desired location or surface.
The current invention combines various teachings of the inventor's copending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/255,981 and 11/806,284 for more than one light source and optics means with teachings of the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,736 concerning grating or hologram techniques to create a lot of images and thereby et the best image projection on a wall, ceiling, floor, or surface of an optics means.